4 All Families

Friday, January 7, 2011

I was searching through my computer for a specific picture, and this always takes much longer then it should because as I am looking for the specific picture, I end up stopping to look at all the pictures and go back to all those memories. It is so surreal how day to day everything seems the same and the changes around are so subtle. Then when you look back it seems like everything happened so fast, and everything is different.

This is especially true when you have a baby who keeps growing up! So as I was looking through the hundreds of pictures I have taken in the last few months I came across one I took of the card my oldest son gave me for my Birthday.

This card is priceless to me, and quite honest one of the best gifts I have ever received in my entire life, it is so honest and innocent, spelling mistakes and all : ) The best part is no one asked him to make it, he had no one telling him how to do it, or what to make. He did this on his own...he wrote from him heart!

I think as mom's these are always the best gifts, the ones no amount of money could ever replace! We all have these kinds of gift's don't we?

Thursday, January 6, 2011

When it comes to birthday parties we are always looking for great ideas that are cheap or free. Really the possibilities are endless and some of the best ideas are ones that have worked for years, such as sleepovers and pin the tail on the donkey. However here are a few idea's that you may not have given any thought, and they can make any birthday party great : )

Minute to win it - this can be a great party idea. It is really inexpensive and it can be the entertainment, games and theme! You can see a list of the games, complete with video's of how they are played and what you will need at NBC. Pick out the ones you will use ahead of time and set up stations. Everyone will have a blast!

Cooking Party - You are planning on feeding your guest's anyways and kids of all ages love creating things, especially with food... so a cooking party makes sense! You can have ingredients to make pizzas available and use Pitas for the crust. Follow that with everyone making their own Ice Cream Sundae's and it will be a great party!

A treasure hunt - Kids love games, so why not make the whole party a treasure hunt. You can make the maps at home on plain paper. You can decide what to hide, or what they must find. It can be things they get to keep, or maybe the winning person or team gets a trophy or something....or even getting cake first as a reward; that's all up to you!

Obstacle Course - This is really cheap and kids have so much fun. Plus it's really fun watching them! Use things from around your home and set up an obstacle course. You can use chairs, to climb under, ropes to jump over, have them jump on 1 foot, crawl...anything you can think of. Make them go in teams or together set your own rules and plan it ahead of time so set up will be easy. Take a break for food and presents and reset and start over!

Winter Outside Party - If it's winter time an outdoor sledding/snowshoe party is always fun. Ask people to bring their own sled and snowshoes and get outside and have some fun. Maybe even have a snowman competition, who can build the fastest or the biggest...you can make teams or individuals. Snowball fights are always lots of fun for older kids, you can have them built snow walls to hide behind and start their own game. Make rules like 3 hits and you're out!

Summer Fun - A beach Party or pool party, its classic and oh so much fun! Kids love being outside. Maybe have a BBQ and let them swim and play in the sand. They won't get bored and if they do it will be time to do presents and cake anyways. You can always spice it up with getting a game going in the water! Don't forget all the water safety rules!

You don't need to spend a lot of money to have a great birthday party. Many of the best parties actually cost nothing or very little money. Kids don't understand about money, all they care about is having fun! So save yourself some money and make some great memories...don't forget to take lots of pictures!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

All parents want to plan a birthday party to remember, unfortunately in today's economy the cost of that party matters. The good news is you can plan a great birthday party without spending lots of money. This article will outline some tips and suggestions on how to plan a birthday party that you will always remember without spending.

Start Planning Early
This is essential for spending as little money as possible. Many people ask how planning early helps spend less money and the answer it quite simple. The earlier you start the longer you have to shop deal, sales and always find the things you want for super cheap!

Don't limit yourself to local stores
When you shop at all your local stores you usually end up spending more money. If you want to find things cheap, you must shop around! Look into the prices for the things you're looking for from lots of different places. This includes local stores and stores and websites online. Many times you can find things for a fraction of the cost when you purchase them online.

Be Creative
A little creativity can go a long way! Instead of buying all your invitations, why not make them. This can be not only fun, but it will definitely be something you will remember for years to come. You can take some pictures of the process or keep an invitation for in a scrapbook. It will be something really neat to look back on years from now. If your child is old enough they may even want to help and it can be a great bonding experience.

The creativity does not need to stop with invitations, why not attempt making a birthday banner, or making a cake and decorating it too. It may not look perfect but it saves a lot of money, creates a lot of memories and will be one of a kind!

Feeding the Party
If you don't want to spend a lot of money on food, you can always choose not to serve any. If you have the party at hours in between meals then people will not expect to have a meal, and you can just serve cake. If however you want to serve food there are lots of options that cost effective and still yummy. Pizza, kids and adults all love Pizza you can buy it premade or make it for pretty cheap. Hot Dogs or hamburgers, these work especially well in the summer on a grill! Don't forget that you can always leave things like chips, pretzels, watermelon among many other things out for people to snack on.

Check out the Dollar Store
You will find a lot of great party supplies there at a fraction of the cost of department stores. You can find so many things there from napkins, forks and plates of all colors. Loot bag supplies for really cheap and even premade loot bags although they are not the greatest.

Loot Bags
Look for things in bulk that you can split up; for instance a bag of candy and divide it amongst the guests, you can make up little bags using snack or craft bags with candy. Also you may want to consider buying one thing for each child such as a notebook and pencil, or a toy that you find cheap someone maybe even the dollar store. This can help cut down on costs a lot!

You don't have to spend a lot of money to have a great and memorable birthday party. The most important advice I could give is take lots of pictures and enjoy the day, because no matter how much money is spend the memories and pictures will be what's important years from now!

Do you have any tips or suggestions on how to plan a birthday party on a budget?